1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network of microprocessor-based systems for monitoring a reply packet that is returned in response to a request packet.
2. Description of the Related Art
In current communication networks where microprocessor-based systems are interconnected by a common communication channel, each communication source monitors the communication channel to receive a reply packet from the destination after transmission of a request packet. This monitoring function is implemented with firmware or software. If it takes a long time for the respondent system to return a reply, the requesting system must simply wait for the reply and is therefore prevented from doing other jobs. Alternatively, a reply flag is currently employed to indicate the receipt of a reply to invoke a reply interrupt routine. While this approach eliminates the need to monitor the reply packet, the failure on the part of the respondent to return a reply cannot be recognized by the source system.